1. The Technical Field
The present invention relates to apparatus for the transportation, handling and/or temporary storage of loaded filament tubes or cones carrying wound materials such as yarn, thread, rope, wire and the like.
2. The Prior Art
The transportation and handling of filament materials which are carried by filament tubes or cones, such as thread, yarn, or wire, can often be problematic. The typical filament tube for holding a large quantity of a thread or yarn, for example, for textile manufacturing, is typically a cylindrical or conical tube several inches or more in length and possibly several inches in diameter, around which has been wound many yards of the filament, resulting in a loaded filament tube which may be up to one or two feet in diameter and have a height of up to a foot or more. The final configuration of the wound filament may be cylindrical or frusto-conical, usually reflecting the shape of the filament tube member.
Since the filament tube members typically extend both above and below the wound mass of line or thread, organized, stabilized handling and transportation of such loaded filament tubes can be difficult. This is particularly true since it is not economical to transport such loaded filament tubes unless done in large quantities. For example, a shipment may consist of 50 or 60 or more loaded filament tubes, which may contain filaments of the same type, size and color.
One known prior art method for packaging and transporting such filament tubes is to provide a preformed packaging system fabricated from molded plastic. A bottom pad member will be provided having a pattern of depressions or apertures formed in its upper surface, suitably configured for receiving the bottom ends of a plurality of filament tube members arranged in an array, e.g. 5.times.6, etc. Typically, the apertures will be sufficiently deep that the actual wound material may be able to rest on the surface of the bottom pad member, for added stability. Larger indentations, concentrically surrounding each of the smaller depressions or apertures, may be provided for receiving the bulk of the wound filament.
Typically, the bottom pad member will be tray-shaped (i.e., with definite side walls) and have pre-formed molded feet or pedestals, thus raising the surface of the bottom pad member above the ground, in order to enable the bottom pad member to also function as a pallet.
Once a first layer of loaded filament tubes has been laid down, a separator member is laid atop the bottom pad member. The separator member, also formed from molded plastic, will have suitably arranged depressions on its lower side for alignment with and receipt of the upper ends of the filament tube members. Suitably arranged depressions on the upper side of the separator member will receive the bottom ends of loaded filament tubes, in a manner similar to that previously described. This layering of separator members and loaded filament tubes is continued until a stack of loaded filament tubes is created. This stack may be as many as five to seven or more layers high.
A top cap member is then set on the uppermost layer of loaded filament tubes. Typically, the top cap member will be shaped like an inverted tray and have depressions on its underside for receiving the top ends of the filament tube members of the uppermost layer.
While such a packaging system utilizing pre-formed molded plastic members may enable the packaging and transportation of loaded filament tubes, such prior art packaging systems can often be expensive due to the cost of manufacture of such molded plastic members. In addition, to achieve the high strength required for the containment and transportation of an assembled package of stacked loaded filament tubes (which may have a total weight of several hundred to several thousand pounds), the packaging members themselves may be heavy and thus add to the overall gross weight of the package. If there are limitations on the gross weight of the completed package, the increased weight of the packaging members will detract from the available net weight of the loaded filament tubes.
In addition, the use of such plastic materials may be undesirable in view of environmental/recycling considerations. Further, such plastic formed members may become brittle over time and thus susceptible to breakage, requiring their replacement by further relatively expensive plastic packaging members. In addition, plastic packaging system components are typically returned to the shipper of the thread or yarn and reused. This can create problems of cost, due to the inefficient return shipping of the empty components, loss, breakage, cleaning and the added administrative personnel expenses to both the supplier and their customer(s).
Filament tube shipping apparatus fabricated from corrugated paperboard material are known. However, such structures included complex tray-shaped top and/or bottom cap structures which typically had to be erected by hand, prior to the actual packaging process. Complex blanks were needed for the cap structures, which, in turn, led to increased material costs, in addition to the increased time for assembly of the shipping structures. In addition, pallet structures were provided having bottom skid sheets which covered the entire bottom of the pallet structure. Such pallet structures involved increased weight, material cost, and would often became crumpled, torn or bent by straps used to hold the stack together, thus weakening the pallet structure and potentially producing instability. In general, such prior corrugated paperboard filament tube apparatus were generally unsuited for use with automated handling and packaging equipment.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for the packaging and transportation of large quantities of filament tubes loaded with wound filament material arranged in an array, which packaging system does not require use of molded plastic packaging members.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for the packaging and transportation of large quantities of filament tubes loaded with wound filament material arranged in an array, which may be more readily manufactured and which may be more readily recycled, than existing molded plastic packaging members.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such a packaging system which has a substantially reduced weight relative to molded plastic packaging members.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a packaging system which has improved performance over prior corrugated paperboard packaging systems, and which is capable of use with automated handling and packaging systems.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a packaging system which has improved characteristics over prior corrugated paperboard packaging systems, such as decreased usage of corrugated material, and simplified manufacture, assembly and handling.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in light of the present specification (including claims) and drawings.